Shadows of Mercy
by Prestige Productions
Summary: Unprepared to face her former partner and with Adam Taurus determined to destroyed what she holds dear, Blake hires a ruthless mercenary to watch over them as only a bloody angel of Mercy can *ON INDEFINITE HIATUS*
1. Stroke of Midnight

_**For those expecting additions to my RWBY/KH Crossover fic Long Road Home, I'm suspending that until RTX is over. I just feel like the new info will taint whatever vibe I have going with that fic. And thanks to the new Outfit concepts we've all seen, I have a few new seedlings.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**_

 _It should've been different, all I wanted was a place to call home._

 _But after a year of trying to find a place, find peace, and even find love, I see the truth._

 _"Home" is not a place._

 _"Home" is not family._

 _"Home" is not a lover._

 _For me, "Home" is the blade in my hand, and the bullets in my guns._

It was a rainy night in the city of Vale, the streets which once buzzed with the hustle and bustle of people living a peaceful life were now dull and silent as a hooded man slowly made his way down to the nightclub belonging to a man known as "Junior".

 _"Man this place has gone to hell in a hand basket since that disaster of a Vytal Festival, not that anyone saw it coming."_ He would quickly withdraw his pistols from their holsters and check the digital ammo counter, satisfied to see that both were fully loaded and ready to go. _"But at least the military managed to wrangle all the Grimm back at the Academy, although with that friggin Dragon hanging there it was bound to happen eventually."_

The man would sigh and spit on the ground as the bass and thump of the nightclub grew closer and louder, he hated the loud and noisy atmosphere of such places and would normally avoid them if he could help it. But dammit if his current client wasn't completely insistent upon having him meet up with them at that kind of location, so as he holstered his weapons and prepared to make his way into the club the hooded man suddenly longed for a stiff drink.

"ID?" The black suited goombah standing by the door would drone as he held his hand out for some sort of identification, judging by the monotone way he asked for it the poor schlub had clearly been doing this for way too for probably too little pay.

"Got it right here champ, all nice and proper." The hooded mercenary would remove a stack of Lien and calmly place it in the doorman's outstretched hand, he would look down and notice what he'd been handed. Judging by the furrowing of his brow and the tiny beads of sweat that were beginning to form, he was seriously debating on whether or not to take it. "Go ahead man, take a load off. Lord knows you've probably earned that and then some." The gun toting stranger would push his way into the club and shake his head as he was surrounded by the thumping nightclub music, the metal mask covering his face would do little to alleviate the annoying bass as he made his way over to the bar which was littered with needy club babies and other individuals who seemed like they frequented the place on more then one occasion.

However, there was one soul that seemed very much out of place in this raucous environment: A lone raven-haired Faunus with black cat ears hidden expertly by a black bow (though the sensors in his mask would easily see past this) and a lithe physique hidden by a stark white coat and a weapon holstered to the back of it.

 _"Not too subtle for trying to blend in, just a little too-"_ Whatever snide comment that he was about to make would be cut off as the cat-eared girl removed the jacket to reveal a black top that showed a fair bit of midriff, causing the gaze of the men by the bar to look her way like sharks sensing blood in the water. _"Hel-lo doctor, open mouth insert metaphorical foot."_ He would take a seat a few stool down from the cat in question as the bartender looked over at him questioningly. "I'll have a Blackout, on the rocks."

The bartender would nod as he set forth making the drink in question as the hooded man drummed his fingers on the bartop in boredom, looking over at the few club preppies who were brave (or drunk) enough to walk over and try and pitch woo.

"Poor bastards actually think they have a shot at this chick." He would examine the raven-haired Faunus girl closely, judging by how she was sitting it was pretty clear that she wasn't a regular customer. Probably just killing time until whoever she was looking to meet finally arrived, the sharp-eyed gaze in her yellow orbs gave off an aura of experience in such situations as even the pickup lines being slung her way didn't even faze her.

"Keep your hands off me!" She would react quickly as one of the preppy boys had begun moving his hand down her back in a suggestive manner, only for the cat-eared girl to ram him into the bar top face-first as his friend moved to throw a fist and slug her in the face, only for the girl to disappear and in a haze before reappearing and boxing the second guy in the ears before putting him into an armbar and cranking on the pressure aggressively.

"When a girl says she wants nothing to do with you, it means that you should piss off and get the hell out of her face!" The raven-haired woman was clearly someone with battle experience, a Huntress perhaps or ever a mercenary like himself judging by her more than forceful tactics as he heard the sounds of bones snapping before tossing the whimpering clubber aside and frowning at her spilled drink before muttering what was probably profanity.

"Barkeep, give the lady a double of whatever she was drinking." The masked mercenary would toss some Lien the barkeep's way as he set down his drink, looking over at the raven-haired woman who was now glaring in his direction. "Shit, I know that look." He would gesture for her to approach, the fact that she had heard what he said only confirmed his silent suspicions that the woman was a Faunus and even as she was walking up to him aggressively her cat ears would twitch every so often.

"What's your angle, trying to soften me up so you can try and make a pass at me too? You and the rest of those punks are always-" Her rant would be cut off as the bartender placed down her replacement drinks, along with another Blackout for him before moving on to deal with the next batch of club babies and their thirsts.

"No angles, no games..just showing my admiration for someone who can hold their own, especially someone in your situation." He would raise his glass to her and give a bit of a cheers before downing his drink, his mask uncovering to reveal his lips as the liquid made contact. "Salut"

The cat Faunus would look at him curiously, noticing the ornate mask that obscured his face and nodding quietly before downing her own drink. Surprised to find that it was sweeter than the drink she had first requested, causing her to look at him questioningly before noticing the suited men beginning to make their way across the dance floor and over to them.

"Looks like we're about to have company." She would look over to the masked man who had finished knocking back a third Blackout and seemingly a little wobbly as he stood up to face the oncoming swarm of weapon toting morons, the cat Faunus would remove the sword slung over back and ready herself to fight. "Listen, you should just sit down and-"

The masked man would quickly unsheathe his own blade and strike down the goons with rapid-fire slashes, quickly re-sheathing his weapon as they crumpled to the ground as he lazily popped his knuckles. "You were saying?" He would signal to the horrified bartender for another drink even as the nightclub's patrons began to flee in terror, not even bothering to watch as the Faunus girl was kneeling down to check on the goons and find that they were no longer breathing.

"You…you killed them!" She would turn to level her sword at his throat and instead finding herself staring down the barrel of a pistol as the masked man finished his drink with his free hand, slamming down the glass and looking over at the cat Faunus coldly. "They were just doing their job, they didn't deserve to die!"

The mercenary would sigh before holstering his gun and looking at the raven-haired woman with malaise, still admiring her physical attractiveness even though he now had remarkably less interest in her. "That's true, these are just cheaply suited morons who probably don't get paid enough to deal with drunken morons, and spoiled little brats who are too bloated and fat off of daddy's riches." He would throw down some Lien before placing his hands in his pockets and placing his neutral gaze upon his now-revealed client. "Although I'm betting you didn't come to someone with my talents because you needed me to handle a few slobs trying to make a pass at you, especially with that number you're wearing."

The yellow-eyed Faunus would retrieve her jacket and sigh quietly as she pulled it back on, expecting a lot more based on what she had heard of this man. "So you can kill without batting an eyelash, I know more than a few Huntsman who can do the same thing. I need to know that you're capable of something more before I hire you for the job I have in mind." Her gaze would harden as she blocked his sword strike without a second thought, smirking as she saw a hint of surprise in his body language. "You really didn't think I would catch onto your technique after seeing it only once did you?"

The mercenary would start pacing the area as he sized up the cat Faunus in front of him, the lithe physique wasn't just for aesthetic value as there was a clear outline of muscle if one were to look at her in the right light. She was skilled with a blade to the point that the kitty was able to block his attack with ease even as skilled soldiers had all fallen to his sword on past occasions, what was more impressive to him was that she had been able to glean the basics behind his strike after only witnessing it once instead of using her Semblance as she had done earlier with the preppy boy.

"Beauty and brains, definitely a deadlier package than I anticipated..kinda makes me wonder why you even need my services." He would spin his blade lazily even as her ears twitched, the sound of sirens in the distance alerting them that they were about to have more unwanted company. "And of course the cops decide to hone in on the fun before I could properly test you out thoroughly, I doubt you're the type to go to bed with a guy on the first date anyhow."

The cat Faunus would feel herself flush in embarrassment before charging at him angrily as their weapons clashed once again, however both sides would be ready as she disappeared while leaving behind a copy while he hit the ground and pulled out his pistol quickly as he opened fire and missed her by a hair. "Why are you doing this, I just want you to hear me out!" The masked mercenary would fire another shot, this time knocking the bow off of her head before bringing her weapon down on him and missing as he rolled away and unsheathed his own sword once again. "I was told that you would do any kind of job, regardless of how menial. You've proved your worth as a fighter now just listen!"

The hooded man would laugh, the sound coming off as robotic and warped even as the sounds of sirens grew closer to the nightclub.

"Really, you say I'm capable enough after a few lame duck exchanges with a sword? You're either incredibly foolish, or incredibly brave." He would sigh as he reached for the restraints binding the mask to his face, before stopping and lowering his hands. "I'm guessing that you're not asking for my services for your own ends..there's someone and somewhere else you need me to be."

The raven-haired Huntress would nod as she sheathed her weapon as her opponent did the same, wondering why he kept the mask on even as she gestured toward the back exit.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know, but not here.

The mercenary would sigh as he began jogging toward the back exit as the cat Faunus was already a few paces ahead of him, giving him a decent view of her backside as they both exited the area.

"I never promised to hear you out woman, not without some concessions!"

 _ **I went with Blake first because her new outfit caught my eye, unlike the other three ideas this one will definitely be more than a one shot.**_


	2. Fair City Riot

_**Another Day, another update to my favorite foursome of stories.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, whose writers are a fair bit more competent than I.**_

Blake would sigh as she ran through the darkened streets of Vale, her masked associate only a couple paces behind her despite the heavy black coat and the rainfall pounding down upon the duo. "I didn't think the authorities would respond so fast, why would they care about a nightclub?" She would look back to see the other man loading incendiary rounds into his triple-barreled pistol as the "eyes" of his mask shifted from normal red orbs to fragmented purple ones as he nodded at the feline in front of him.

"Yeeeahh, this is exactly what it looks like." He would look back and start firing in the direction of the police sirens and try to keep himself from laughing hysterically as one of the cars rolled over onto its side, he would quickly increase his running speed to fall in step beside the raven-haired Faunus just in time to catch the dirty look she was now casting in his direction. "Hey, you're the one looking to hire me remember? Consider this an audition of sorts." He would smirk beneath the mask as he loaded more bullets into his pistol and looked back to see that the path behind them was blocked by the overturned police car. "Well that was pathetically easily, didn't even get to show what this baby can really do."

Blake would roll her eyes in disgust as she spotted a nearby fire escape and began climbing up the rusted rails in relative silence, immediately feeling the weight of a gaze upon her back before growling and finishing her long climb. "I swear to God if you were staring at my ass again, I'm calling off our little deal." She would lean down to check out the look on his face before remembering the mask on his face, although she would be taken aback by the chuckling she heard coming from behind her as she instinctively left a clone in her stead as she unsheathed Gambol Shroud and went to slash at the intruder in question.

"Honey, I've been doing this for far longer then you've been alive so that cheap doppelganger shit doesn't even faze me." The masked man would say this while wrenching her weapon out of her grip before stabbing it into the brick wall beside them. "And if you're this skittish after me having a few yuk-yuk's at your expense then you don't have any business hiring me to protect someone else, but enough about you being a 'fraidy cat for no good reason. Talk to me about this little proposition you want, not everyday I get asked outside of my place of business to meet with a client." He would lean back against the railing in boredom, waiting for the raven-haired Faunus to begin spinning whatever sad tale drove her to the need for hiring someone of his less than virtuous nature. Blake would sigh as she looked up at Remnant's broken moon with sadness in her yellow eyes.

"My name is Blake Belladonna, former student of Beacon Academy and one of the handful of students who were fighting on the frontlines during the Fall." The raven-haired Faunus would watch the masked man for any sign of a reaction and frowning when he remained completely still. "My partner was gravely injured during a battle with my former mentor, her right arm was cut away past the elbow and-" She would gasp as he held a hand up, signaling for her to stop talking as he dug into the pockets of his coat and removed a silver flask as part of his mask split apart to accommodate the incoming flask as he took a long swig of whatever was inside.

"I don't know what kind of stories you've heard about me kid, but I don't do the whole "revenge" thing, you want payback for your partner? Do it yourself." The masked mercenary would pull her Gambol Shroud from the brick wall and toss it back to Blake, taking note of the angered look in her eyes and smiling as the mask mended itself to cover up the joyful expression. "Unless you'd care to prove your superiority and force me into doing your dirty work little girl, in that case then at least try and give us a proper show." He would leap down from the railing of the fire escape and land in a kneeling position as he removed his own sword from its resting place inside his jacket, the blade glistening in the moonlight as the feline landed across from him as she readied herself into a fighting stance.

"You're right about one thing, I have heard a lot of stories about you: You're a master of the sword, a semi-decent shot with incendiary rounds, and an overall decent guy when you've had a few." The raven-haired Huntress would charge forth as she anticipated the same feinting move he had used on her previously, however this time she would leave behind an ice clone to confuse her opponent as she spun in midair and brought her leg down in a vicious kick to his shoulder. "But I also know that you're also a very pattern-oriented fighter, and I've seen enough of your little tricks to know how to counter whatever you throw at me." Blake would reach into her opponent's trench coat and remove his pistol from its holster, intending on using the threat of a head shot into forcing his hand. But as she leveled the triple barrels against her opponent's temple, the handle would heat up unexpectedly and quickly as she dropped the gun onto the ground with a yelp of pain as the masked man stood up and smashed the younger Huntress across the face with a closed fist and sending her to the ground.

"I was expecting better from you Blake, someone with the kind of piss and vinegar to come to me for a hire usually has the kind of gumption to hold their own in a one-on-one fight." He would spin his katana lazily as he took careful steps in approaching the downed Faunus, the welt on her cheek slowly making itself known as his sensors scanned her vitals and reported back that things were still very much in the green. "No wonder your partner lost her arm trying to defend you, you're weak!" He would kick the downed Huntress viciously in her side, watching as she rolled over onto her back and placed his boot upon her stomach and applying a bit of pressure as her expression contorted into one of agony.

"You say you want to hire me to look after someone, no doubt it's that partner of yours. What I can't really understand is that if you're really that worried about her health and well-being then why aren't you doing it yourself, unless you're not only a weakling. But also a freaking coward to boot!"

Blake would growl angrily as she tried to move the heavy boot of her assailant off of her gut, the pain while not excruciating was causing her stomach to rethink playing host to the sweetened alcohol drink she had before fleeing the nightclub as the bile began to gather at the back of her throat. "Wh-what would you know about cowardice, everything you do in life..your every action is guided by whoever gives you the bigger paycheck!" The strawberry-colored vomit would finally spew forth as she tried to press her insults further, little did she know that behind the mask that the flames of anger were burning to life as a result of her words.

"There's on old saying that says that the smallest dogs bark the loudest, and I must say that for a feline..you are one very annoying bitch!" He would raise his boot to stamp down on the belligerent Faunus and end this sad excuse for a skirmish that he now found himself in, however the brief moment of freedom would allow Blake to leave behind a second ice clone that would encase his foot as she retrieved Gambol Shroud and slashed hard enough at his mask to leave a trail of sparks in its wake as metal met metal and leaving a gruesome mark upon the mask covering his face as well as damaging the sensor in his right eye plate.

"Who's the bitch now?!" The raven-haired feline would snarl as she leveled attack after attack against her frozen-footed foe as the anger of his words fueled the strength behind her blows, the memory of her partner being cut down by Adam's blade only serving to heighten her anger even more as he raised his katana to try and hold back her onslaught.

"I came to you in the hopes that you would protect my friend while I hunted down the White Fang, the people who helped bring down my school and shattered the peaceful life that I wanted to strive for! They put a bounty on my head and are planning to use her to lure me out!" The yellow-eyed Huntress would knock the katana out of his hand with a mighty roar before leveling Gambol Shroud at the man's throat, her eyes hardened like diamonds as she considered slitting his throat and leaving him to bleed out and die.

"So…that's your story is it? You intend to storm the enemy's gates by yourself while leaving a brute like me to watch over her like some blood-soaked guardian angel is that it?" The mask covering the man's face would continue to malfunction as the voice scrambler within failed, his natural husky voice breaking through and causing the younger woman to raise her eyebrow skeptically. "A decent plan, worthy enough of a song written by the most noble bards." He would shrug his shoulders and chuckle quietly to himself as his mask continued to crack and split apart. "Well, if we had any of those creepy little bastards that is."

Blake would grit her teeth in frustration at his words, sheathing her weapon and deciding to punch him with her bare fist as she winced in pain. "Geez, what the hell is that thing on your face made of?" She would carefully ball her fist just to see if all of the bones in her hand were still in place, gasping as the sound of shattering ice would break her out of her silent reverie as she went to retrieve her weapon.

"There's only one thing wrong with your little scheme woman: You're not taking into account the feelings of those left behind if you don't make it out of your little rampage. Take your damaged partner for instance, I'm guessing that she's probably not your biggest fan given your actions back at the Academy." The mercenary would grin as her yellow eyes widened in shock at his words, not expecting him to grab her by the arm and put her in a basic armbar before she could create another copy of herself while pulling the feline Faunus close to his body. "I'm guessing that you were ashamed of your weakness, and that you blame yourself for what happened to her." He would sigh as Blake whimpered from the pain of his grasp, knowing that he had hit a sore spot both physically and mentally. "Little one. Let me tell you now that your reckless plan will do nothing to quell the anger that she's probably feeling right now, and that the only who will benefit from such reckless actions will be the Fang themselves." The mercenary would finally release the angered Faunus from his grasp, but not without relieving her of her weapon and looking at her quietly as the rainfall finally began to let up.

"So then what should I do? I'm not ready to face Yang after everything that's happened, but I know that the White Fang will be sending their own people after her and her family!" Blake's eyes would begin to fill with tears as she tried to think of a proper plan to deal with all of these pitfalls at once, she could become a shadowy guardian to protect her friend but it would do little to deter the White Fang's attack against her. But leaving to attack the Fang on their own turf would mean that there was a very high risk of death, not to mention that it would leave Yang unprotected. "Please, I'm begging you to help me!"

The masked man would sigh tiredly as the feline fell to her knees before him, not knowing what else to do to get through to him, causing him to kneel down and gently placed a cold, gloved hand upon her cheek. "Come with me, there's someone I want you to meet. Maybe she can give you perspective on just how important your life is to the people around you."

 _ **Honestly, this one took considerably more effort to run through because outside of the Black Trailer I've never been a big fan of Blake as a character. I could go on a long spiel about how Volume 2 was the cause for a majority of this, but it's almost two a.m. and I'm exhausted.**_


	3. Sharing his World

_**Well, updates at long last. Enjoy it folks, I'm not getting much breathing room this semester.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth**_

 _ **The following chapter takes place three days before chapter 1 of Salvation**_

The slums outside of Vale had always been somewhat of a breeding ground for the less than upstanding individuals in life, drug dealers would camp out on the respective corners to peddle the latest collection of uppers, downers, trippers, and hallucinogens to their desperate clientele. Ladies of the evening would prowl the streets looking for the lonely and naïve souls hoping on exchanging hard-earned lien for even an hour's worth of physical comfort, only for that same lien to later be surrendered to "daddy" in exchange for being spared a backhand upside the head before heading back to a beaten down mattress in order to rest their weary bodies and pray for their doomed souls.

It was exactly the opposite of the kind of residence that a mercenary like him should call home, but as he strolled into the beaten down apartment with his heavy boots echoing down the hallway as he checked the messages on his old analog machine.

"How..how do you live like this, without a scroll, without heat, and very little light?" Blake's Faunus vision was a godsend in this abysmal place as she was able to avoid pieces of broken wood and glass dotting the floor, looking to the masked man for some kind of a response and glowering when she got nothing but silence. "You said that we were coming here to meet somebody that would change my perspective on the mission, but all you've done is drag me around the slums like a child..I've seen how bad the ghettos of this city can get."

The man would remove his trench coat and hung it on a rusty coat hook, not surprised to hear an audible 'click' followed by the whir of an elevator making its way down, but no sign of any doors to be seen. "You've seen these places from the rooftops, moving from beat to beat like the devil's on your finely toned ass." He would ignore the scathing look of hatred from the female Faunus as the wall in front of them creaked open to reveal a sterile white elevator, stepping inside and crossing his arms as she walked in beside him just as the doors closed behind her. "But in order to truly understand just how important one person's life is to another individual..sometimes you're one piece of a well-oiled machine of goodness, but then there are those other times." He would let his voice trail off as Blake frowned visibly, her ears twitching as she heard the soft noises of feet running across the floor above them and raising her eyebrow curiously. Her hand carefully drifting to where Gambol Shroud was sheathed, only to find an empty vacancy where her blade usually rested instead.

"Somebody's clearly inside your apartment, we need to be ready for some kind of an ambush." The feline's muscles would tense in anticipation as the elevator finally slowed to a crawl and the doors began to slowly creak open once again, her fists clenching up as she anticipated a volley of bullets and even an occasional blade.

"Papa!" A blur of black-hair and fuzzy pink would rush inside the elevator and into the hulking mercenary, the taller man laughing a joyous yet booming noise as he gently stroked the little girl's raven hair whose hands were now gripped around his legs tightly like an adorable vice. "I had another nightmare, I saw the white wings again a-a-and..!" The frightened child would sob loudly as she buried her face into the man's leg, even as the mercenary picked her up and held the child close to his heart, humming quietly as her sobs began to pass.

"Be calm my little angel, papa's here now..the White Wings shall not claim you tonight." The masked mercenary would smile underneath his mask as he gently rocked the child in his arms as he stepped into the more lavishly furnished apartment, gesturing the stunned feline to do the same as he continued to whispering words of reassurance to the child in question. "As I was telling you earlier Blake, there are other times in a person's life where you're all they've got in the world. Such is the case with my little one here, she is my world, my heart, my little Cindy."

This wasn't the first time that the blonde brawler would find herself back in that ruined and burning library, her now former partner down on the floor as a masked individual stood over her with his katana pointed at the black-haired Faunus's abdomen and speaking words that she couldn't quite hear over the crackling of the flames.

 _"Every night it's this same damn dream, I can't even keep count of how many times that I've watched her get stabbed."_ Yang would clench her fists in anger: not at the situation unfolding before her eyes, for she had long since locked away such feelings of injustice and anguish towards Blake's injuries. She was angry at the fact that she had had her missing limb restored to her body, as if her act of recklessness had never occurred and her future was to be free of the phantom pains that tortured her during the daylight hours. _"All I have to do is walk away, just like she did to me..she didn't even bother to wait until I was out of surgery before bolting like a coward!"_

The raging fires of her Semblance were now flowing through her body, causing her to become a beacon of light in what was usually her darkest hour and drawing the attention of the masked assailant threatening the downed feline.

"What, you would risk your life to save this traitorous piece of garbage?" He would snort and bring down his blade into Blake's body with gritted teeth. "Would you still jump into the fray after learning what she's done? The number of lives she's ruined with her cowardice? The dreams she's broken when she turned tail and ran?!" He would emphasize his words of hatred with light, shallow stabs towards a downed Blake and reveled in her cries of agony as the brawler's fury steadily inched towards its zenith.

But the raven-haired feline would simply look towards her better half, her yellow eyes widened with a silent but impassioned plea for Yang to retreat.

"AAAAUUGHHH!" The brawler had seen enough of this horror show, her partner trying to get her to run away while a deranged masked lunatic was treating her like a pin cushion was enough to send her charging forward in a blinding rage, even as her mind was screaming at her to stop and walk away.

But it was already too late.

Yang could feel the bite of the steel as it sliced through her arm, passing through her aura as if it never existed and instead leaving her to fall just short of her partner and into a deep dark abyss. She had been rendered helpless with one swing of the sword, her partner now lost to her, and no help from her friends or her sister in sight as she began staring down into the gaping black maw she was trapped inside.

Only to let out an ear-piercing scream as the darkness seemed to stare right back at her with a cold, lifeless yellow eye.

 _"Yang! Yang! You need to wake up honey! Wake up Yang!"_ The blonde would snarl as the darkness called out to her in the voice of her father, her remaining fist clenching into a fist as she roared and took a swing. _"GET AWAY FROM ME!"_ She could feel her fist connect with something solid as she roared out in anguish, her now blazing red eyes open to find herself back in her own bedroom, the fist that she had to used to fight off the darkness had instead connected with the strong and resilient jaw of her worried father Taiyang.

"Dad?" Yang would feel her tightly clenched fist loosening as the older man had taken the blow without any sign of injury, not even the slightest flinch.

"Thank God you're alright." Taiyang would wrap his arms around his startled daughter with an exhausted sigh, an equally worried Zwei doing his best to offer his own nuzzles of support to the frightened woman. "You were screaming bloody murder to the point that Zwei was trying to claw his way through the door, I thought that you were hurt Yang."

A now embarrassed Yang would sigh tiredly as she leaned her head on Taiyang's shoulder, feeling the comforting sensation of his fingers gently combing through her hair as Zwei curled up beside her. "I had the dream again, the one about Blake..I was just so..so angry at her for what was happening, then I got lost in this weird darkness and..then there was this..eye." Taiyang would release her from his embrace and look at the younger blonde with a rising sense of concern before gently placing a hand upon her shoulder, even as the lilac-eyed girl just sighed in frustration. "You think I'm crazy don't you?"

The older blonde would shake his head silently, knowing just how crazy a person's dreams can become following a traumatic event, and many a night he had awakened to find himself dripping with sweat from a rather frightful dream scenario involving his lost wife.

"No honey, I don't think you're crazy at all..just a little exhausted and stressed out from everything that's happened and it's messing with your head as you try and sleep." Tai would gently pat Yang's shoulder as a wave of sadness washed over her face, causing his concern to rise once again. "You should really try and rest Yang, a little bit of sleep can go a long way towards getting to the heart of the matter." He would gently cover her with her blankets and look over at Zwei, the corgi now resting comfortably on her pillow.

"This isn't about a lack of sleep dad..Blake abandoned me after I risked my life to try and protect her, what kind of a partner does that!" Yang's voice would rise as she felt the pain of her abandonment anew, the cat-eared Faunus's smiling face now causing her blood to boil and her eyes to turn red. "I mean, I figured that you of all people would understand how I'm feeling after mom left us!"

Taiyang would wince visibly as he looked into her daughter's blazing red orbs of fury, a sight that he was very familiar with thanks to his time with his first wife Raven. "Sweetheart..those were different circumstances, your mother..she had her reasons for doing what she did." But his words would fall upon deaf ears as Yang simply grit her teeth in disgust at his words, Tai would frown visibly knowing that no amount of fatherly kindness would assuage the anger burning in her heart.

"I'll admit that I do sometimes feel some hatred toward your mom for leaving us, but I'm not about to spend my nights sitting in my room and letting it eat away at me like a virus. I won't let it control me, just like I know you won't let your anger towards Blake control you." The older man would leave his daughter with a kiss upon her brow, not knowing that he had used the same argument that Yang herself had used to snap Blake out of her dogged search for leads on the White Fang months earlier. On the one hand a part of her was proud that she and her father were very much alike in mind, but the ache in heart swelled anew as she once again recalled the dance she had shared with the raven-haired feline at Beacon's dance.

What was once a memory that brought her great elation, now left her feeling hollow and alone.

Blake would still be feeling awkward as she and the mercenary were sitting in silence at a coffee table, the masked man had poured the two of them a cup of tea after putting a now-reassured Cindy back to bed, the raven-haired Huntress remembering the sight of the little girl clinging to a plushie spider. "I never imagined you would be the type to have children, I guess this world still has some good surprises in it." The feline would watch curiously as his mask separated to allow him to drink his tea in a more normal fashion. "But I'm wondering where her mother is..surely she should be here to keep the scary monsters away."

The mercenary would frown visibly as he looked to the brightly colored door that led to the room where his child slept. "I don't know who Cindy's mother is, I found her walking the streets a few weeks after shit went south at Beacon. She was shivering from cold, and terrified as she kept ranting about the dreaded "White Wings", wasn't sure what she meant back then and I'm still no closer to an answer today." The hand gripping his teacup would clench visibly as he remembered seeing the child wandering the ruined streets of Vale wearing nothing but shredded bits of red fabric and her raven-colored hair matted with rubble, he had taken her to the nearest medical facility to have her examined and what little scrapes she had amassed during her travels.

"She had no clue who she was or where she came from, besides her own name she was literally a blank slate. Doctors called it amnesia, wanted to ship her off to the orphanage just so they could clear up a bed, but I wouldn't let 'em do it..I've seen how the orphanage system works, no child deserves that kind of crap."

The teacup would shatter in his tightened grip, leaving pieces of porcelain and tea staining the table as Blake stared on in hushed silence as the masked man stared at his reflection in the puddles of tea. It was clear to her that he had some sort of misgiving towards the system, judging by his choice of occupation as well as the outburst of rage he displayed. "I may not be Cindy's real father, but I'll be damned if she's going to be left cold and alone while not knowing who she is! I'm going to raise her as best I can, and if I can't help her restore her original memories, then we'll just create new ones together."

The yellow-eyed Faunus could see that he was solely committed in his path of helping a child find her way in the world, not allowing himself to get bogged down by details of the past and instead moving forward with her in order to create new and happy memories.

 _"Maybe I should start doing the same, I may not be able wipe away the sins of the past..but I can always start again."_

 ** _For the record, this is just my take on what Ruby's powers did to Cinder. We know that Tiffany is frozen on top of Beacon, but zero clue on Cindy._**

 ** _Now for announcements, there's a new poll on my profile page letting you fine readers decide what story I spend October dealing with. Aside from this one, your options are as follows:_**

 ** _Addiction: The patriarch of the SDC is at death's door and is instructing his daughters to duke it out to see which one will stand superior as the new madame president._**

 ** _Black Rock Magic: A Black Rock Shooter/Wrestling crossover that sees the three leads from the OVA as Sorceresses in training while their city lies on the brink of a revolution being bolstered by the Eater of Worlds, Bray Wyatt_**

 ** _Celebrity: My first fic was an Arkos one, but without the lyrics of the song that inspired it, I think a much needed rewrite is in order_**

 ** _Conversations Code of Silence: A sequel to my second RWBY fic "Conversations", this one sees Goodwitch on a hunt for truth (and the means to give the boot to the OC) while also documenting the gradual fall of a Ship._**

 ** _Dissonance: what started out as my own loose adaptation of Volume 3 sees how my OC handles that maddening set of events._**

 ** _Everyday Life: A series of one-shots (mostly) involving the RWBY cast, the OC, Sora from Kingdom Hearts and other guests dealing with wacky happenings. Future chapters set to feature more Jaune Arc._**

 ** _Mmm Gorgeous: A Crosshares/Chocolate Bunny fic that sees Coco come to grips with her feelings towards Beacon's badass bunny while also trying to lobby for change in the Academy uniform._**

 ** _Salvation: 4th in my series of "V4 Outfit inspired fics" sees Yang trying to get back to some semblance of the girl she used to be, while also trying to find the courage to forgive those who've wronged her._**

 ** _Separation: Lancaster fic where Team RNJR finds themselves in Mistral, but rather than hunt down the new Fall Maiden Cinder, Ruby seeks to find a friend she'd lost following The Fall and eventually discovering that time doesn't heal all wounds._**

 ** _Shadows of Mercy: Uhhh...yeah, THIS FIC RIGHT HERE._**

 ** _Sympathy for the Demon: 3rd of the V4 Outfit inspired fics, this one sees Weiss dealing with her new life behind her family's walls, trying to break free of her gilded cage while flashing back on the individual who helped her find the strength to fight back._**

 ** _Now I could sit here and ask that y'all take time to read each fic because you only get one vote, but let's face it: ain't nobody got time for that, so vote for whatever interests you. Poll closes at 9 am Saturday._**

 _ **Ta-ta for now**_


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